this recipe is great for when you have a bunch of folks over.
www.sandiegouniontribune.com/lifestyle/food-and-cooking/sdut-variety-of-meats-and-peppers-makes-a-winning-2012mar07-htmlstory.htmlBig Hill’s Green Chili
(for a 6-quart slow cooker)
3 12-ounce beers (Mountain uses Dos Equis)
1 bunch of cilantro
27-ounce can of diced green chilies (Mountain prefers Hatch brand)
27-ounce can of green enchilada sauce (also Hatch brand)
1 pound pork sausage
¼ to ½ pound bacon
1 large onion (yellow or brown)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
6 chicken thighs (boneless and skinless)
3/4 to 1 cup masa cornmeal
1 can crisp summer corn
2 cans ranch-style pinto beans with jalapeños
Sea salt and pepper to taste
For Spicy Sauce:
2 fresh habanera chilies
2 fresh serrano chilies
1 fire-roasted dried green chili
1 bunch of cilantro
1 red onion, finely chopped
½ cup fire-roasted chipotle chili powder, or ¼ small can of chipotles in adobo sauce
1 cup New Mexican chili powder
½ tablespoon cumin
½ tablespoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon sea salt (or to taste)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce (chipotle or green chili)
1 1/2 cups water
½ tablespoon Liquid Hickory Smoke
Toppings (optional): Chopped onions, sour cream, chopped cilantro or grated cheese
To make Spicy Sauce: Remove the stems and seeds of the chilies. Liquefy chilies and cilantro in blender, then add other ingredients and process until smooth. Place in sauce pan and bring to boil, and then remove from heat. Set aside.
To make chili: Start by turning the slow cooker to high. Put beer, chopped cilantro, diced green chilies and enchilada sauce into it, plus 2/3 of the Spicy Sauce.
While that’s warming up, brown the sausage in a sauté pan and put into the pot, including the grease.
In the same pan, cook the bacon, then set it aside to cool. When cool, crumble it and add it to the pot. Reserve bacon grease.
Chop the yellow onions and garlic and sauté both in the bacon grease. (Add the garlic last; if it gets burnt, it tastes bitter.) Cook until onions become transparent, then add them to the slow cooker, again reserving bacon grease.
Cook on high setting of slow cooker for at least 1½ to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Lightly salt and pepper the chicken thighs and sauté them in the bacon fat. When they are golden brown, chop into small bite-sized chunks and add to slow cooker. Deglaze the sauté pan with about ½ cup of the chili broth, to loosen any meat that is sticking to the pan; add liquid mixture back into slow cooker.
Turn slow cooker to low setting and allow to cook for 3 to 4 hours (or more). During this time, stir occasionally and adjust seasoning, if desired. Gradually add in remainder of Spicy Sauce.
Then, turn setting to warm and continue cooking for as long as you desire, depending on when you will serve it.
One to 2 hours before serving, turn setting back to high; when chili is bubbling, add cornmeal by gently sprinkling on top and stirring in; that will absorb the grease and thicken the chili. (You may not need the whole cup.) If it gets too thick, add a small amount of water. Finally, add the corn and 1 or 2 cans of pinto beans, depending on individual taste. After about ½ hour, turn to low or warm until you serve.
Serve the chili in a warm bowl topped with any combination of chopped onions, cilantro, sour cream or cheese.